Thursday, October 30, 2014

Explore Your Opportunities!

by Dannica B., Panther Blogger

At Ferrum College, there are so many fabulous opportunities, such as studying abroad, E-Terms, different courses, internships, and so much more!  I am only a sophomore here at Ferrum and I already feel like I am so involved with the school.  From Greek life to clubs, I am forever busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love everything I do here at Ferrum and I know that at the end of the day, everything I do will be so rewarding for me.  A major benefit to doing so much is it looks so fantastic on your resume. It's one thing to say you graduated with a degree, but it's the little details that count. The opportunities you take make you unique and that's what employers look for. Ferrum College makes sure its students have access to great opportunities!

Since I am only a first-semester sophomore, I haven't had much opportunity to travel abroad and do internships yet. Even though I've always had the particular mindset that I would do an internship when I became an upperclassman, I took a risk and applied to the Disney College Program.  I found out about this program from one of Ferrum's campus-wide emails. I had little to no confidence that I would get in because I figured I was too young and inexperienced.  I was completely wrong because I got an interview the same day I applied, and a few weeks later, I got an acceptance email into the program!  I think that was one of the happiest days of my life because who doesn't want to intern at Disney?!

It was so easy to apply; it was like a regular college application.  When they review your application, they offer you an online interview, and if they're interested in you, they offer you a phone interview. Then after a few weeks, you will find out if you were accepted or not.  I do have a few experiences that I believe helped me get the internship.  The more you do, the better and more interesting you will be to potential employers. If you're interested in possibly interning for Disney, just visit www.disneycollegeprogram.com.

I am so excited for my internship!  From January to June next semester, I will be working in the restaurants and the outdoor carts, and there are so many benefits to this internship.  I will earn a small stipend for the internship which will pay for my housing, and I will earn credits toward my major at Ferrum for the classes I take at Disney. I know it will be a fantastic experience and will be such a great resume-builder.  It will give me good experience working outdoors and working with people from all over the country, which I know will help prepare me for a future career in outdoor events!

 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Ferrum College Found Me - An Introduction to New Blogger Rebecca!

by Rebecca M., Panther Blogger

Hey everyone!  My name is Rebecca and I am currently a junior at Ferrum College.  I am a Liberal Arts major and am double-minoring in Elementary Education and Criminal Justice.  I'm from Richmond, Virginia.

I went to a small high school, so I wanted a college in which I felt like I was a student and not just an identification number.  I looked at a variety of different colleges and was not really sure that any of them were for me. I got a call from the Ferrum Admissions office about a potential scholarship offer. When I had applied to Ferrum, I had never even heard of it. After looking into Ferrum College, I decided I needed to come and check it out. After coming for a visit, I fell in LOVE with Ferrum and it was exactly what I was looking for!

After switching my major for the fourth...or fifth time, I decided that Elementary Education was the right major for me.  One of the things I love about Ferrum is that with every education class, there is an internship involved.  I am able to get into the classroom and see first-hand what it is like to be a teacher as well as how much education has changed since I was in elementary school.

I am involved in a few activities on campus as well. I am in the Scholars in Residence Program, which requires having a certain GPA and attending one educational or community service event each month.  I also have a work-study job and am a freshman seminar mentor, and an orientation team member (I was an O-Team Captain last year).

As I always say to my friends:  Bye for now, be safe, and make good choices!

Keeping the Connection

by Rachel W., Panther Blogger

As a senior, I have been feeling very overwhelmed.  The fear of failure is weighing heavy on my heart. Even though I have never failed a class, the realization that it is my last year at Ferrum and I do not have time to fix any mistakes is kind-of a scary thought.  Through all of the anxiety, I found myself thinking, I'm not the first senior social work major! There have been a ton of people who have graduated before me!

Luckily, being in a small school has allowed me to make a ton of friends not only in my class but also in the classes above and below me.  A friend and alumna of Ferrum College saw a Facebook post about how overwhelmed I was and invited me to go to dinner with her.  After several reschedules and lots of phone calls and text messages, we finally met up at Hema's (a local Italian restaurant) just to catch up!

She asked me how school was going and I found myself pouring out all of my problems, fears, and frustrations!  The best part was that she understood it all because she had also gone through the Social Work Program and graduated just last year.  She understood the frustrations I was having in my research class and how everything simply seemed overwhelming.

She not only listened, but she gave me some great advice!  Take it one assignment at a time. When you have multiple large projects going on, it seems very hard to look at things in small chunks.  Emily encouraged me to take it one assignment at a time, and once I started to look at it like that, it didn't seem so difficult.

We also got the chance to talk about plans for after my graduation, including grad school and working.  It was nice to hear what a recent graduate had to say about some of the programs I had been looking at.

In a nutshell, it is so important to keep in contact with your alumni friends!  They have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt...diploma!  They can help ease your worries and make you realize that there is life after graduation and help you see how lovely that life can be!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Learning Abnormal Psychology for Criminal Justice

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger

My favorite class this semester is Abnormal Psychology with Dr. Dahl.  It is a really interesting class and it teaches me a lot about people who have various disorders.  It's important to understand these disorders in the Criminal Justice field.  As a student in that field, I would imagine that these disorders have much to do with the crimes that are committed every day.  Learning about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, eating disorders, and many other disorders that many people suffer from is very helpful in my other Criminal Justice and Sociology classes.  Understanding why people commit crimes is half of understanding criminal justice.  In order to understand civilians, we need to take classes such as Abnormal Psychology and be able to recognize the typical struggles that people face from day to day.

Friday, October 10, 2014

A Guided Hike of Ferrum's DeHart Botanical Garden!

by Brett W., Panther Blogger

Every year, Ferrum College has a different overarching theme for both semesters that is chosen by one of the three different academic schools, which rotate turns to choose the theme.  In my freshman year, our theme was "Sustainability," which was headed by the school I am in - Natural Sciences and Math.  Last year, it was chosen and run by the School of Social Science and Professional Studies and was titled "Sustaining Community Engagement," which touched on philanthropy.  Well, this year, the theme was up to the School of Arts and Humanities, and they created the current theme titled "Roots and Routes."  Because the theme is supposed to be an integral part of life here at Ferrum College, many activities, speeches, and programs that occur through the year are part of the theme event.



Well, on October 4th, a guided hike of the DeHart Botanical Garden of Ferrum College was given to fulfill one of these theme events.  It took about 45 minutes by van to reach the site, and once we were all there and unloaded ourselves, we began the trek up the mountain.  Having Dr. Pohlad, my advisor and the head of the Horticulture Program, lead the tour made it all the better. We explored a cave, discovered a neon orange edible mushroom, and some people even ate a jelly fungus!  Being able to see and appreciate all these extra little things that Ferrum College has to offer really and truly makes me proud of my school and confirms my belief that this is where I am meant to be.


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Have Fun With the Ferrum College Rec Club!

by Caleb T., Panther Blogger

Hey guys!  I wanted to tell you a little bit about Ferrum College's Rec Club.  Please check out my video!  Thanks for watching!



Just in case you can't view the video here, try visiting the link on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AUAyblp8w

Monday, October 6, 2014

My Last Ferrum Homecoming as an Undergrad

by Stephanie D., Panther Blogger

Homecoming weekend is a weekend where alumni and current students come together and celebrate Ferrum College and all of its accomplishments.  This year, homecoming at Ferrum also included the family festival and the hall of fame inductees. Friday, September 26th started off with the family festival. There was a BBQ dinner along with live entertainment!  There was also a parade that showed off sports teams and clubs on campus. For this parade, we had a banner-making contest that the clubs and teams took part of to earn a cash prize!  On Saturday, September 27th, the Ferrum Football team played the Bishops from NC and lost by 4 points.  The game was awesome and the team played so well throughout the whole game.



Homecoming is also a chance to get to know alumni and make connections with those who have graduated and experienced "the real world."  Networking with alumni is a great way to get first hand knowledge on what steps to take after graduation. These alumni might even be able to get you a job!  Ferrum has the friendliest faculty and staff, as well as alumni, and it is very easy to make a new friend at every event that Ferrum holds. I am sad to say that this was my last homecoming as an undergraduate at Ferrum College, but it was my best one yet!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

F-E-R-R-U-M

by Laken P., Panther Blogger

As I am caught in the bittersweet moment of my third and final year at Ferrum, I have truly realized how my short time here has greatly impacted my life as a whole. Facing the uncertainty of the future, along with the memories of the past has led me to think about what has made the past few years ones that I will never forget. A reflection of the life experiences I will take away with me at graduation can easily be broken into FERRUM -- a word that is more than just a school name but is also a major part of my life.

Family. There is a quote that reads, "Here's to the nights that turned into mornings, with the friends that turned into family."  Here at Ferrum College, the "Ferrum Family" isn't just a concept we tell potential students to sell them on our great school; it's an actual pure and raw state that can be felt from the first few weeks on campus and well into alumni status. The common bond of Panther Pride connects each of us, making Ferrum the tight-knit community that it is. Since I have been here, I have met so many wonderful people that make me wonder how I ever made it through the first part of my life without them. Whether it's my roommates, Greek family, club members, or study groups, the people I have met on this campus have truly become some of my closest friends. Every year, another graduation pulls some of us apart, but it is nice to know that we will always be a part of the Ferrum family and have each other to lean on for the rest of our lives.

E-term. One of the best experiences I have had not only at Ferrum, but in my whole life, was the opportunity to travel abroad with a Ferrum E-term (Experiential Term) class. I took an Environmental Science class where we traveled to Ireland to study the culture, heritage, landmarks, and natural history.  We flew into Dublin and spent time traveling around the entire country learning about the rich history of Ireland.  I learned more than I ever have in any other class because I was able to learn the material by visiting landmarks, meeting people from other countries, and experiencing life outside of America. Without this opportunity that Ferrum provided to take an E-term course, I probably would have never had a chance to visit and explore Ireland and Northern Ireland in the way that I did this past summer.  The class and trip are definitely something that I will talk about and treasure for the rest of my life as I hold close the memories of kissing the Blarney Stone, seeing Fungie the Dolphin, walking to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, climbing the Giants Causeway, and feeding baby sheep - just to name a few!


Recruitment. I thoroughly enjoy being an Admissions Ambassador and Panther Blogger as they are both ways for me to personally connect with potential students long before they ever decide to make Ferrum their home. Sharing my stories and experiences allow me to open up and give potential students a glimpse of Ferrum that propels well beyond an official visit or a website of information.  One of the most important factors in choosing a school is finding a place you can call home, and I am honored that I am able to help future students make that decision. As an Admissions Ambassador, I have given countless campus tours, listened to personal stories and backgrounds, and answered any and all questions that arise. Watching a parent's eyes light up when they realize that their child has found a new home for the next few years is an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. From athletic recruits, special guests, future students, and other special campus events, I gladly step up to tell everyone what makes this place so special. I sometimes have too much to say simply because I love this school and everything about it so much!

Responsibility. Everyone says a college is the time to truly discover yourself, learn what you are meant to do in life, and work hard to achieve your goals. When you pick a major, throw in extracurricular activities, meal times, hours of homework, athletic practices and time to sleep, sometimes it seems like you won't even make it through the day, much less the whole semester or year.  In my time here, I have learned that college is the place where the days drag on for what seems like forever, but the weeks and months fly by. It seems like only a few days ago that I was at home too excited to sleep because I knew I would be moving into my first dorm room the next day. Looking back on the short two years that I have been here, I cannot believe I am facing my senior year of college.  I opened my mailbox the other day to find an application for graduation; that's when it hit me that my undergraduate career is almost over. In the time since my first semester here, I have definitely noticed a change in the way I study, finish my homework, and schedule out my days ahead of time. I have used the skills and resources provided to me to work and ensure that I get a little better each semester. Responsibility is a skill that must be developed in each individual person, but Ferrum does an excellent job of helping guide students to their goals through Freshman Gateway courses, senior capstones, advisor meetings, and professional prep classes.

Unicorns. Of all my campus activities and organizations, my favorite is my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, whose international mascot is the unicorn. Being a sister of Ferrum's first national Greek organization has brought me some of my closest friends, helped me become a part of something so much bigger than myself, and allowed me constant opportunities to give back to the community. Within the sorority, I have found roommates, best friends, future bridesmaids, study partners, role models, and mentors all while being involved in something that has made me a better and well-rounded person. Delta Phi Epsilon chartered on Ferrum's campus in 2011 and has continued to grow each and every semester. Being a member of an international organization allows for the opportunity to network with alumni, find sisters all across the world, and work hard to raise funds for our philanthropies. We raise money and awareness for our official philanthropies, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) and Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), as well as to contribute to the campus and local community. I can't believe that I only have a semester and a half left on campus with my sisters and fellow unicorns, but I know that no matter where I am in the world, they will always be there loving and supporting me.


Mentor. I am involved in many clubs and organizations on campus, and I hold a leadership role in several of them. I am the Vice President of Academic Affairs for Delta Phi Epsilon, Secretary of the Minds-n-Medicine club, and a member of the Honors Advisory Council for the Boone Honors Program.  I also serve as a mentor for the Gateway seminar that freshmen take each fall. Through the opportunities that Ferrum has given me to step up and be a leader, I feel more confident going into the rest of my life with experience and knowledge. There are so many clubs and organizations on campus that allow students to be a member and/or student leader - there really is something for everyone. Becoming involved is one of the best ways to expand horizons, build resumes, and meet new people, and I'm so glad I have been able to take advantage of it all in my short time here!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

New Major, New Classes

by Dannica B., Panther Blogger

After changing my major for about the fifth time and still not knowing what major is right for me, I realized that maybe taking a few different classes in a few different subjects would be the right thing to do.  This semester, I decided to take an economics class to get a feel for majoring in Business Administration.  I'm also taking a recreation leadership class to get a feel for majoring in Rec along with other classes I need to take in order to graduate.  I absolutely love both classes and seem to be doing quite well in them. 

My economics class is a bit of a struggle, but that's only because I've never taken a business-related class before. My teacher, Professor Basu, is fantastic and always brightens my day by making jokes in class. He always gives the class the best advice and compares a lot of his lessons to situations that relate to college students to make it easier.  Therefore, I've never ever had a bad time in his class, and I look forward to attending it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

My recreation class is my favorite. We learn all about the outdoors and how recreation and leisure are huge factors in our lives.  Last week, we learned how to build a fire in the "Ferrum Forest" and had s'mores afterwards!  It was such a great experience!

Taking these different classes has given me a good idea on what major is best for me!  No class you take is ever a waste of time because each class will teach you valuable lessons.